At The MENTOR Network, we believe that children belong in homes, not hospitals, and take pride in our ability to provide community-based foster care for some of the most vulnerable and medically complex children. In our Medically Complex Foster Care program, we offer 24-hour personalized care for infants, children and adolescents with a wide range of medically complex conditions that may include:

Physical disabilities

Cerebral palsy

Congenital heart defects

Autism

Epilepsy

Muscular dystrophy

Multiple sclerosis

Cognitive challenges

Our goal is to combine ongoing medical treatment with the nurturing support of our caring foster parents, who we call “Mentors,” to help children thrive in the communities that they call home.

Comprehensive Support

We call our foster parents Mentors because they do so much more than open their homes to the children in our program; they also open their hearts. Mentors offer the support and care that children need to thrive. Through our comprehensive matching process, we ensure that our Mentors are equipped with the skills necessary to offer support—physically, medically and emotionally—to the children in their home.

The Network provides support for our Mentors every step of the way, acting as a resource and helping them provide individualized treatment and care that is unique to each child’s abilities. We provide on-call assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our expert clinical coordinators may also consult with community-based registered nurses as needed to ensure that treatment plans meet the needs of the children served. Access to in-home nursing support is also available should a child require specialized medical care at home.

With support from our expert team, Mentors provide:

Medication management oversight

One-on-one nurturing & guidance

24-hour care in family homes

Social stimulation

Access to routine family and community-based activities

Life skills development

Individualized service and care

Our coordinators work with each child, the referring caseworker, parents/legal guardians and foster parents to successfully transition children from the hospital or other care settings into their Mentor’s home and develop a treatment plan that is tailored to meet the child’s specific needs. If the child is in school, the coordinators may also arrange for service planning meetings in which teachers can participate.

Visit our locations page to learn more and find out where The Network offers Medically Complex Foster Care. You can also visit makeadifferenceathome.com if you are interested in becoming a Mentor and making a difference in the life of a child with medically complex needs.